Transcriptomic Analysis of a Superhybrid RiceBy using a whole-genome oligonucleotide microarray to investigate the transcriptome profiles of LYP9 rice and its parental cultivars, Zhu Lihuang and colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center shed light on the hereditary basis and molecular mechanism of a popular superhybrid rice variety. Developed in the 1970s by Yuan Longping, the Father of Hybrid Rice, LYP9 is one of the hybrid rice varieties credited with solving China's food problems. Clustering results showed that the F1 hybrid's expression profiles resembled those of its parental lines more than that which lies between the 2 parental lines. Out of the total 22,266 expressed genes, the scientists found that 7,078 genes are shared by all seven sampled tissues. As researchers divided differentially-expressed genes into those between the parents (DGPP) and between the hybrid and its parents (DGHP), the comparative results showed that genes in the categories of energy metabolism and transport are enriched in DGHP rather than in DGPP. These differentially-expressed genes, particularly those involved in carbohydrate metabolism, are candidate genes governing heterosis. Download the paper published by PNAS at http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0902340106
This article is part of the Crop Biotech Update, a weekly summary of world developments in agri-biotech for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Aquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA) View Crop Biotech Update (
June 5, 2009
) Newsletter |
